Emma, my wife, has always been a strong, stylish woman who loves fashion more than anyone else. She knew it was the right time for her when she saw a “Now Hiring” sign at a nearby underwear store. But what happened next made her feel depressed and down on her luck.

The young woman who worked at the store, who was rude, looked Emma over several times before hitting her hard. She said, “You’re not pretty enough for this job,” and her voice was full of contempt. She was shocked, and when she got home, I could see the sadness and anger in her eyes.

When I heard what had happened, I was very angry. My wife shouldn’t have felt like she wasn’t good enough. I chose to do something, so I asked my friend Mike, who works as a talent scout in the fashion business, to help me.

We came up with a way to teach the store clerk how to be humble. Mike pretended to be an expert in the fashion business, and I pretended to be a customer. The store clerk thought we were real because we were so good at our parts.

The crushing blow came from Mike just as she was beginning to feel better. He told her, “You’re not what we’re looking for,” in a strong but polite voice. I could tell the shop clerk was shocked and embarrassed by the look on her face.

“You know who would be great for this campaign?” Mike asked me as we walked out of the store. “Emma is your wife.” That made Emma feel better about herself again. She understood that the store clerk’s mean comments were only a sign of her own nervousness.

She didn’t need the job to feel important in the end. No matter what other people thought, she knew she deserved love and respect. While we were leaving the store, I couldn’t help but be proud of my wife for sticking up for herself and not letting anyone else tell her how valuable she was.